No Day but Today
by Takada Saiko
Summary: A continuation of my series... third in it, and I'd rather that you read the others and it'd make a heck of a lot more sense, but I THINK you can read it alone, if you are so inclined. But do review, please.


**No Day But Today**

**_Part One:_**

**_I Won't Ever Leave You_**

A/N: This is the third installment in my series. The first was 'Over Tea and Coffee' and the second being 'For the Time Being.' Enjoy and review please!

* * *

Mark felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently out of his light doze. He shifted his position, eyes fluttering open, and came into focus on Tom Collins. The elder man smiled down on him. "How long have you been here, Mark?" 

"I don't know," the filmmaker admitted sleepily. "I came in after work ended. Around eleven."

Collins held up his watch in front of two heavy-lidded blue eyes to show the time as five in the morning. "And I can guarantee he's been here longer. Shouldn't they have kicked you two out long ago?"

"They know us by now," Mark said sadly.

The other nodded as he sat on the old couch next to his younger friend. Coming to the hospital was hard on them all, but Mark was sure that it must have brought back painful memories of Angel's last days to Collins. "You don't have to be here, Collins," he said after a moment. At the other's hurt look he continued hastily. "I mean… with everything that's happened, I know this can't be easy on you…"

"I got worried about the both of you when neither came home."

"Oh. Sorry."

"You could have called."

"I-" Mark's response was cut off by a coughing fit that nearly doubled him over. He felt Collin's hand against his back, bracing him, and then move to his shoulder to pull him back up straight.

"Did those results ever come in? Joanne's been asking me, as if I know anything."

Mark laughed slightly, though the smile did not reach his tired eyes. Joanne had been asking more and more about his health. They'd begun meeting some two and a half months before when she was convinced that he wasn't eating properly and took it upon herself to see him at least once a week. Each time she eyed him critically, threatening to go to Roger and tell the musician that his roommate was starving himself to make sure Roger had his AZT. Mark had protested and done all he could to pacify her, including seeing a doctor for his persistent cough that he waved off to lack of sleep and too much work, but would not drop either of the 'hell hole jobs,' as Joanne called them. "Tests. They take forever."

"Well did you ever call the clinic back?" Collins pressed, eyeing his the blond. "You can't know anything if you don't call them back."

"I know… I've just been busy."

"And if it's something serious?"

"It's not. I'll tell you the same thing I tell Joanne: it's me working myself a bit too hard. I'll get used to it. I'm just adjusting to my weird schedule."

"You mean no sleep and little food?" Joanne's voice flowed easily through the room.

The two men looked up to see her leaning against the door that led to the waiting room. "I heard Mimi had taken a turn for the worse yesterday. I'm sorry I couldn't get over here until now, but I knew someone would be here."

"You heading to work?" Collins asked, eyeing her nicely pressed business attire.

"In a couple hours. I wanted to be here first. Mark, why don't you ask someone about your tests results while you're here? You don't really seem to be doing much else."

"Visiting hours are over," Mark said gloomily, "but I couldn't leave Roger to stay by himself." He motioned to his best friend who was sound asleep on the couch a few feet away. Mark's own coat was covering him and a bottle of water and his AZT were on the table, having been dutifully shoved down his throat upon the Jewish man's arrival.

"So go check," Joanne pressed.

"No one's going to be here that knows anything about it," Mark argued.

"Well go check anyway. The clinic works hand and hand with this hospital. They'll have records on you here."

"I need to go back to the loft and take a shower. My boss wanted me in at seven this morning…"

"I don't guess you've looked in the mirror lately," Collins asked, an eyebrow raised in Mark's direction. "You look like shit, man, and I don't mean from sleeping in a hospital waiting room. You need to take a couple days off and recoup."

Mark frowned deeply, not replying. There was a long few moments of silence before a doctor and nurse burst through the doors, appearing to head towards the rooms in the back. Roger jerked awake at the action, eyes wide. "What'd they say?" he demanded.

"Nothing. They just walked through," Joanne assured him.

There was a flurry of motion from the doctor and nurse on call and they couldn't seem to find out what was going on. Eternity seemed to stretch out before them and at last the nurse came out, ushering Roger to the back. She gave the rest of them a sympathetic look. Her eyes came to rest on Mark lastly. "I have your papers, Mr. Cohen. The ones you were supposed to pick up at the clinica week and a half ago…"

"Yeah… Is she okay?"

The girl just gave a sad grimace that looked like an attempt to smile before disappearing and then reappearing with a slip of paper.

Mark took it, making sure that it was well out of the site of prying eyes, and stood staring for a moment. "Thank you very much," he managed as he crumpled it in his hand.

"Well?" Joanne asked as she stepped forward.

Mark turned two frightened looking eyes on her and looked as if he were about to say something when they heard a loud cry from the other room. "Roger!" Mark gasped, starting to go back.

The nurse caught him. "She was about to go," she said quietly. "You might want to wait out here."

"That's my best friend. I'll go where I damn well please," the filmmaker snapped as he moved past her. He entered the small room where Roger was bent over Mimi's still form, sobbing openly. Mark felt his breath catch as he stood there, unsure of what he should do.

Roger looked up. "Mark?" he whispered, tears streaming down. He stood and covered the space between them in only a couple steps, flinging himself into the other man's arms, crying into his shoulder. "I've lost her, Mark. I've lost Mimi… First April and now Mimi."

"I know," Mark whispered, holding his best friend awkwardly. "What… what can I do, Roger? Tell me what to do for you."

"Don't leave me," Roger begged frantically, clinging to the smaller man. "Don't ever leave me like they did. Like everyone will."

"I…" Mark froze as he felt the others enter behind him. He turned, seeing Joanne clutching desperately to the paper that he'd dropped while running to help Roger. Her eyes lingered on him, wide and just as frightened as his had been when she had asked what it had said. "I won't," he managed, reaching a shaky hand up to smooth back Roger's hair. "I won't ever leave you."

----------

A/N: **NOTE: THIS IS NOT A ONESHOT**! Just to let you know, since this series has been a series of oneshots thus far. I just couldn't fulfill this in a oneshot and feel right about it. R&R please!


End file.
